Several Puyallup High School Students Contract Whooping Cough

PUYALLUP, WA - Four Rogers High School students have been diagnosed with whooping cough, according to a letter the district sent to parents. The condition, also known as pertussis, is most serious in cases involving infants. The federal Centers for Disease Control recommend that children over the age of 10 and pregnant women should receive a Tdap vaccination to prevent contracting pertussis.

In the past, 200,000 annual cases of pertussis among the U.S. population was common, but the vaccination has reduced that number by 80 percent, according to the CDC. The Tdap vaccination also protects against tetanus and diptheria.

The condition starts with cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose. This is followed by a cough that can become so intense that it causes vomiting. This coughing stage may last several weeks. The condition is likely to spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.

The district has already contacted the parents of the four students with whooping cough. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Puyallup Patch, click here to find your local Washington Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Image via Puyallup School District